Eva
by ookaminokage
Summary: Suna and Konoha have become a single village after Suna is decimated by an attack. Kankuro finally returns home after an entire year of missions to the strangest mission he's ever known. As for the mission, she's not exactly thrilled either. KankuroXOC


Eva

By Ookaminokage

_Hello gentle readers! Welcome to my KankuroXOC fanfic! I almost gave up on this one, I'll be honest. I waffled about how do do this or who of my many OCs he would work best with. This involves a lot of naked woman, possibly lemons. I'm not entirely sure as yet. Enjoy!_

Chapter 1: Mission

She ghosted through the underbrush, making only the tiniest sounds. Animal-like, bell shaped ears swiveled toward the sounds that had been drawing her out of hiding. She leapt into a nearby tree, balancing with ease on a narrow branch. Through the leaves, she caught sight of four people facing off against a seemingly endless wave of identically dressed men.

The four were breathing hard, visibly tiring due to the monotony of the fight. They had been separated from each other, something that concerned her greatly. None were solitary hunters like her. They clearly needed back up. Without a second thought more, she dropped from the tree onto one of the cookie cutter enemies, impaling him with her long knife. Others charged her, only to meet a similar fate.

The pink haired woman of the group spied her first, calling out to her team mates in surprise. An enemy took that opportunity to get the jump on the woman, hitting her from behind with a blunt weapon. The pink haired woman sunk to the ground, providing just the moment she needed.

She pulled humid air into her lungs, releasing a blast of super cooled air at the enemies. She wound a chakra string around her knife and tossed it, shattering the frozen men into thousands of pieces. She grunted softly in satisfaction, and then helped the shaken rosette woman to her feet.

"Thanks...uh..."

She doubled over, cutting off the woman. Pain shot through her midsection like she's never felt before. One of the males, the tanned blond one, caught her before she fell to the churned up earth at their feet. The woman kept saying many words to her but she understood none of them in her pain. The young man who caught her eased her onto the back of the older man and uttered the one word she was able to recognize; Konoha.

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Twelve month-long missions. Kankuro could not believe that in this first year since Konoha and Suna became one village, he had not spent more than five minutes in his new home. Yet here he was, twelve months to the day since the Akatsuki waged a devastating battle in Suna, forcing the survivors to seek refuge in Konoha, walking back there from an alliance-building mission. He was sure that his small nin-issue apartment would greet him with at least an inch of dust on every available surface.

Wistfully, he touched his hite-ate, tracing the two symbols scrawled across it. He still was not completely used to being a shinobi of both Konoha and Suna. In the rare times he had alone, he would find himself missing the dry heat of his birthplace. At the very least, it did not wreak havoc on his Bunraku face paint. That was the superficial crap he told himself when he in truth he grieved the loss of his home.

The gates of Konoha were no longer looming in the distance but only a few yards away. He sighed deeply, feeling the weight of his mission fall from his shoulders. His summon scrolls felt lighter than they had in what seemed like forever. Konoha was a welcome sight for the first time he could remember.

Genma and Raidou greeted him at the gate, oddly sympathetic expressions on their faces. He stopped, hoping for a little idle chatter before turning in his report. It was not to be.

Genma plopped a summon scroll into his hands almost immediately. He grimaced, turning the scroll over in his hands. The seals of both the Hokage and Kazekage stared back at him. '_Great, they're probably sending me to the ends of the earth this time. Or maybe just Lightning Country. It's the only place I haven't been_.'

He thanked both men and rushed off to the Kage mansion. He arrived flushed and starving but there was little he could do about that. The summons which he had read on the way was in Gaara's handwriting and had insisted he come immediately. He knew his brother did not mess around with serious matters and would have let him at least get lunch if it was not serious.

He was surprised when Shizune let him into the Kage office to actually find both Tsunade and Gaara seated at their desks. He had gotten used to working with one or the other. Having both of them present added weight to the impending gravity of what was to come.

Tsunade offered him a small smile. "Good to see you came here so quickly. We were only just sent word that you had arrived. I hoped all went well, Kankuro-san. Sometimes negotiations go well while everything else goes to hell."

" It wasn't all that bad." He chuckled. "All the pushy geisha aside."

Tsunade gave him a wry grin. "It was at least entertaining on this end. So, I suppose you'd like to know what requires your immediate attention, hm?"

" That would be nice." Kankuro stuck his tongue out slightly.

Gaara sighed. " You may want to sit down for this, nii-san."

Kankuro pulled up a chair from against the wall. " Hit me. After this year, I can take just about anything."

Tsunade looked sympathetic as Gaara began. "We have a mission of a sensitive nature like one rarely sees these days. Neither Tsunade-sama nor I can think of someone better suited for it. Honestly, I would not trust anyone else with this, despite a gender issue."

Kankuro cocked a painted eyebrow. "I wish I understood what language you were speaking."

Tsunade grinned. "What Gaara-sama's cryptic message means is that a young woman was brought here by Team Kakashi. She had assisted them with taking down an invasion force from a small independent nin village before succumbing to extreme pain. Sakura was able to diagnose the problem as they carried her back. This unfortunate woman had a fifteen pound ovarian cyst, of all things."

Kankuro's jaw dropped. "You're kidding?"

The Godaime tented her fingers, resting her chin on them. " I wish I could say I was. I also wish I could say that was the weirdest thing about her. Her appearance is most unusual and the way she defeated the enemy nin was almost unbelievable. An ice blast and single kunai. Last time we knew, there isn't anyone left alive that has the Hyouton kekki genkai."

Kankuro leaned forward. "That's something you don't hear every day. So how is this poor woman doing?"

"I performed her surgery myself." Tsunade blew her bangs out of her face." It wasn't pretty. I ended up having to take the ovary and fallopian tube with the cyst. That's probably more information than you wanted to know but you will need to know it eventually. She may not handle it well once she's told. Physical wounds are easier to heal than emotional ones."

"You haven't told her?" Kankuro felt the knot that had been forming in his stomach grow tighter.

Gaara shook his head slowly. "She understands only basic language, about as much as a three-year old child. Physical evidence suggest she hasn't had human contact for about that long. This is where you come in."

Tsunade's face became sympathetic again. "We would like you to take over her care. It would be treated as a mission, so you will be compensated accordingly. We wish for her to be a function human, a kunoichi if possible. For now, it will be monitoring her health, teaching her language, manners and the like."

"Don't you think a woman should handle this?" Kankuro's head was spinning.

"We don't believe so. " Gaara heaved another sigh. " She is unpredictable at best. That combined with the lack of knowledge of her abilities and impressive strength, equal to that of my colleague here, we are very reluctant to allow a kunoichi to deal with her one-on-one, no matter how powerful the kunoichi is. You also have a history of improvisation the available kunoichi lack that will no doubt be essential."

Tsunade took a sip of her ever present sake. "However, if you do need assistance with female-specific issues, Hyuuga Hinata has offered to provide you with that assistance. She and Shizune have been her nurses."

"So, what's her name?" Kankuro asked, his voice sounding tiny.

"She knows she did have one." Gaara stood. "She does not remember it anymore. Hinata-san has been going through some books with her and she is in the process of choosing a new name. Now if you'll both excuse me, I have a pressing appointment with a few lords. Good luck, nii-san."

"I'll do my best." Kankuro slumped down in his chair. "I feel completely lost though."

"Why don't you go meet her?" Tsunade smiled softly. "Shizune can take you. Then by all means, get some food and rest. You look awful. We've already set up accommodations for both of you."

Kankuro caught the pair of keys she tossed to him, blinking several times. "What?"

" You heard me, kid. " Tsunade's smile morphed into a smirk. "She'll be living with you. The rest of the details are in this scroll. Oh and don't forget your new house key."

She handed them to him as she bellowed for Shizune. Kankuro followed the Hokage's assistant numbly from the office and through the maze of corridors. As the strolled to the near-by hospital, Shizune broke the silence.

"Did Tsunade-sama tell you what our patient is like?" Shizune grinned." I bet she left out what exactly she looks like. She's in remarkably good condition for being on her own so long, but she still surprises me a bit every time I see her."

Kankuro scrunched up his face. "What's so shocking about her appearance?"

The woman smirked. "She really didn't tell you then. Your little mission is gray and white, with fangs, claws and animal ears."

He tripped over the curb he as stepping up onto. "What?"

Shizune reached out to steady him. "Not to mention she has a figure that makes Tsunade-sama jealous..."

Kankuro stopped in his tracks, feeling his jaw fall to the pavement. His mood about the mission went from slight unease to "what-the-hell" in that moment. They trusted a reputed play-boy like him with a woman that was both weird and perfect at the same time. He dated a lot of women in his life, but it seemed impossible to find one that fit his ideal woman. He wasn't much for the thin willowy women, the ones that looked like they would break. He liked a woman who made a cello look slat-sided.

The closest he came to his "perfect woman" was Hyuuga Hinata, but she was dating Uzumaki Naruto whom she had liked since their academy days. Far be it from him to break up something years in the making. He had entertained asking the Hyuuga heiress out during one of his short stints between missions. The minute he saw her walking the streets on Naruto's arm, clearly stupid in love with each other, he let go of any interest in the woman. He was a playboy, but he recognized true love when he saw it.

He realized all this had ran through his brain in a matter a seconds, and that he had resumed walking when Shizune waved a hand in his face.

"Kankuro-san, don't run into the hospital wall."

He stared at the floor as he entered the hospital, hoping his hood was enough to hide the blushe creeping up behind the purple design on his face.

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Despite Shizune's description, he was not prepared for the woman sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. He stood on the other side of the room from her, but his ninja instincts were telling him to flee. The massive amount of chakra she emitted sent chills up his spine. The last time he felt such a strong signature was during the Akatsuki attack on Suna. He shook his head and focused on her appearance as Shizune stepped out of the room.

Silvery hair ghosted across her pillow, ending in ebony tips. From the side view he had, he understood what Shizune meant by white and gray. It looked as if the back of body was a deep charcoal gray, while the front was the palest white. Her face was the same white, but jutting across her cheeks were stark triangles of that dark gray. From just the one arm he could see clearly, he knew her physical strength was impressive. If the rest of her had that much muscle, the woman was ripped. Not to mention the wicked claws that ended her fingers.

He shifted focus to all the woman he could make out past the light blanket that covered her tightly. It almost seemed deliberate. She clearly had an impressive figure, one better than he had imagined earlier. Forget Tsunade-sama, she made hourglasses jealous. For some reason that fact made panic rise up from his gut. And her chest. . .

"Kankuro-san?" The whisper soft voice of Hyuuga Hinata tore his attention away from massive mounds under the blanket. "Are you here to visit her?"

He nodded so forcefully, he made himself dizzy. "Hai Hinata-san. She's my new mission."

The Hyuuga woman smiled softy. "Tsunade-sama told me earlier today. She should wake up soon. No doubt she smells you as he nose is as good as Kiba-kun's. We had her nap well today so she could be alert when you arrived. We expected you a little later in the day."

"So did she pick a name yet?" He followed her to a chair next to the sleeping woman's bed, surprised he was at ease with it. The petite Hyuuga did not seem nervous and that confidence seemed to be catching.

"She named herself Lithium, like the element. It was one of the more complicated words she could say. It may very well have been her name for all we know." Hinata turned slightly. "Excuse me, but I have to get Lithium-san's lunch. I'll send Shizune-san back in just in case she wakes up."

"Lithium." Kankuro muttered as he watched her pale, slightly up-turned nose twitch as she stirred.

Shizune stepped back in the room in time for Lithium to push herself into sitting position, the blanket falling away from her body. She yawned toothily, two sets of razor fangs glistening in the low light. She was completely naked, her legs curled up slightly as if she meant to swing them off the bed and stopped mid-motion. A blood-stained bandage bisected the charcoal expanse of one thigh. A sapphire blue eye, glowing animal-like, flicked his way and her ears went back immediately, a long row of white fur standing straight up on her back.

Kankuro met her stare, frozen to the spot, hypnotized by her. He flinched as she pulled back her pink-tinged lips in a snarl. '_Omigawd. . . she's...those...damn...double damn...I'm gonna' die...I'll be happy but I'm gonna' die...omigawd...boobs...'_

Hidden in her guttural growl, she spoke in a low gravely voice like an animal mimicking human speech." Who are you?"

Shizune stepped up beside his chair, putting a hand on his shoulder. "This is Kankuro-san, the shinobi whose going to take care of you. Hinata-san told you earlier."

Her ears flicked forward, the fur on her spine relaxing. She swung her legs around and faced him, an incredulous look still on her face. Kankuro swore he never blushed so deeply in his life, having seen pretty much everything she could show and so casually. He'd seen naked women before, just not like this.

She looked to Shizune. "Change bandage?"

"Yes, then I'll get you a hospital yukata for you." The medic winked at the man next to her.

The sapphire orbs flicked back to Kankuro's burning face. "Why Kankuro-san red?"

"That's why I'm getting you a yukata." Shizune grinned." Most men aren't used to seeing naked women."

Shizune moved to remove the bandaged from the Lithium's midsection when she waved her off. " I do, Shizune-san. Faster."

Without a moment's hesitation, the woman ripped the taped covering from her skin, revealing a stapled incision that ran most of her abdomen. Shizune taped another in place and left for the yukata. Lithium turned fully toward him with no more shame than before.

"Gaara-sama's brother yes?" She asked her head tilted slightly.

"Yes I am, Lithium-san." He heard himself reply.

"Hungry?"

"How did you know?" He was in fact sure that his stomach had started digesting his spine in desperation.

"Stomach talking loud." She leaned over, pressing her call button.

The crackly voice of Hinata came over a concealed speaker. "What can I do for you, Lithium-san?"

"Kankuro-san stomach talk loud. Hinata-san feed Kankuro-san?"

Hinata chuckled. "Of course, I'll be there in a minute."

Kankuro smiled lopsidedly. "Thanks."

The bizarre woman smiled unreservedly. "Hungry bad. Stomach talked many days. I no happy. No hungry when with me."

Hinata and Shizune arrived at the same time, the former wheeling in a tray of food between the puppet nin and the two-toned woman, the latter clothing said woman. The tray between them allowed Kankuro to relax more, though not too much. She still sat in most un-ladylike manner, the yukata straining around her chest as she reached for her chopsticks. As if it could not get worse, she had to lean over enough to show cleavage.

_'I just saw her naked and I'm blushing about a little cleavage. . . '_

She downed her food in record time, while he had only started his miso soup. His eyes bugged out as Hinata brought out another two helpings for his charge.

_'Well that explains why she looks so healthy…'_

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The medication Lithium was on must have affected her nose. Any other time, she would have noticed the strange male scent only a foot away from her. She barely even heard the rumbling from his gut until she was sitting up fully. Now alone in her hospital room, she mulled over her first meeting with the man who would be her care taker.

She was both an excellent and very bad judge of male humans. She'd lived her early life with several men in excellent condition, powerful shinobi whom she called uncles. She was only three when she left them though, far before she was concerned with men in ways other than the difference between friend and foe.

Her eyes told her Kankuro was a strong, well built man, much like the uncles she remembered. Her ears told her he had not had a decent meal in about a week. It was her nose that troubled her. It told her things she did not understand things that made her own scent change. Confusion took over her already muddled mind.

The only thing she knew for certain was she liked his voice. It was a low mellow tone, familiar and yet new. It reminded her of the few good memories she had, of her favorite uncle. They were surprisingly similar to her.

She had watched him closely as they ate together, especially his hands as he used his chopsticks far better than she could imagine herself doing. His movements were so deft, especially when he started spinning them idly while chatting with Hinata and Shizune. She wanted to touch them but refrained.

His eyes caught her attention as he left for the night. In all her years in the forest, she'd seen many shades of green. She'd never seen _his_ shade before.

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Kankuro flopped down on his old bed in his new housed, spreading the mission scroll out before him. He read it as carefully as possible. Suddenly diplomatic missions seemed the easiest thing on the planet. Some things made him groan, like the Kages' request for a day-to-day journal of her progress and bi-monthly check ups after she was fully healed.

What balanced this out was finding out he would reimbursed for all expenses related to Lithium's care. He heard his bank account sigh with relief. Her list of abilities made it panic all over again.

Inhuman strength (He didn't have to be told twice, the woman exuded power.)

Control of water and wind in order to form ice, completely unrelated to Hyouton.

Chakra strings similar to a nin-puppeteer's (It made a little more sense why he was chosen.)

Excellent taijutsu paired with claws and kunai skills. She possess one long kunai of a clear substance, possibly diamond.

He predicted a lot of structural damage to this little house. He read on, pausing to laugh out loud. Clearly someone was dictating to his brother as he wrote out the scroll. Gaara was smart but had to have no clue what the three numbers given to him mean.

"52 inches, 35 inches, 50 inches." Kankuro repeated to the walls of his room. "I am going to die…"

He had his work cut out for him, despite her fairly decent grasp on human language. He had to keep a child-like, conspicuous woman a secret until further notice.

It would be like trying to pass Tsunade-sama off as a man.


End file.
